Trump executive order impacts at least 88 in UW community

UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank said the university is monitoring the situation closely

University of Wisconsin officials announced Monday there are 115 faculty, students and staff impacted by President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration.

The order impacts entry into the United States for refugees and immigrants, particularly those from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Libya and Yemen. The order barred at least some legal residents from those countries from re-entering the U.S. for 90 days.

In an email sent to students from the countries in the order, Assistant Dean of Students Joshua Moon Johnson, said the university does not have exact information on how it will impact students on F-1 and J-1 visas.

At this moment, university officials suggested those impacted by the order not travel outside of the U.S.

In a statement UW Chancellor Rebecca Blank said the university is monitoring the situation closely and communicating with the faculty, staff and students who are potentially affected by the executive order.

In the statement, Blank officially added UW to the list of universities calling for Trump to reconsider his executive order.

“These actions affect real people — researchers, scholars, students and staff — who are essential to our goals of providing a world-class education,” Blank said.

Blank said while the university understands the commitment to protecting the country, the administration must ensure it does not keep out those who have good reasons to travel.

“This diversity is a source of strength and innovation and it enhances our research, teaching and outreach,” Blank said.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, said he is “outraged” by the executive order. Pocan said Trump should stand up for the nation’s shared values and represent all Americans.

Pocan is one of the original co-sponsors of legislation designed to prohibit federal funding from being used to implement this executive order.

Pocan also said he stands with the people of his district and plans to use his office as a resource of support for residents and visitors of the district.

“President Trump is attempting to jam his divisive campaign trail rhetoric into policies which ignore the public, the Constitution and Congress,” Pocan said. “Across the United States, the people have spoken, marching in the streets and calling on their elected leaders to oppose these actions.”

Many Republicans in Congress have called Trump’s order into question, but House Speaker and Rep. Paul Ryan of Janesville has come out in defense of the order.

“This is not a religious test and it is not a ban on people of any religion,” AshLee Strong, Ryan’s spokesperson, told POLITICO.

Blank reiterated some of the policies and practices of the university, including that UW will not provide immigration status information unless required by law, University of Wisconsin Police Department will not participate in immigration enforcement and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers need to use appropriate legal processes on campus.

Johnson said the International Student Services Department is working to support students. Staff members will be available for consultation. There will also be a gathering for questions and more details once more information becomes available.

Post updated at 12:57 p.m. to include most recent figure of affected individuals.